Chapter Sixty-Seven: A Farming Game in the Context of Cultivation?

The scene before her eyes shattered into chaotic streams of data, endlessly destroyed and reassembled, like looking through a kaleidoscope. Frame by frame, moments from Xu Nuo’s past flickered before her—Gu Xingze, Lin Qisheng, Sheng Ming—familiar faces and expressions, places she had once visited with them... all vanishing at breakneck speed. Then, the whirlwind of images stilled, and the final tableau—bathed in the glow of sunset—froze, as if for a closing poster.

[Settlement in progress...]

[Player: Xu Nuo
System: No. 007
Strategy Game: "Apocalypse III"
Difficulty: 3 hearts
Task Progress: 100%
Rating: Perfect.
...]

After the long string of text scrolled by, 007 chirped excitedly, “Host, you’re incredible! You achieved a perfect rating! Do you know how rare perfection is?”

Xu Nuo replied with a breezy laugh, “Oh, it was nothing.”

She bantered with her system while continuing to peruse the rewards. The bounty this time was generous, but what caught Xu Nuo’s eye even more were the newly unlocked features: the Achievements system, the Save function.

And then...

“A top-up and shop function? Let me see...” Drawing upon her years of gaming experience, Xu Nuo immediately sensed something amiss.

The shop was filled with an array of items, from divine pills fit for celestial sages to the cheapest fifty-cent hair ties. All required in-game currency to purchase.

Xu Nuo asked, “Little Seven, this is an ethical game, right?”

007 hesitated ever so slightly before replying, “Of course, absolutely!”

Why the suspicious pause? Xu Nuo was unconvinced. “Just tell me, you’re not going to force pay-to-win, are you?”

007 replied, “How could we, dear?”

But when Xu Nuo spent ages searching for the logout button and couldn’t find it, she felt a deep sense of foreboding. 007, oblivious to her anxiety and having waited long enough, didn’t hesitate to press confirm.

“Host, let’s start a new game!”

Xu Nuo pointed to the final line on her personal settlement page. “Wait, I think there’s one last step.”

007 glanced briefly and dismissed it. “According to our assessment, your psychological state is very healthy. No emotional debrief needed.”

Emotional debriefing, as the name implied, was a service for hosts unable to recover emotionally after a game—helping them ease lingering feelings and return to normal. Clearly, Xu Nuo had no need for such measures; her composure surpassed even that of an AI. 007 couldn’t help but admire her—she was a born host, with nerves of steel, never easily swayed. She could transition seamlessly from one world to the next.

Onward to the next world.

White mists swirled, mountains clothed in indigo ringed the horizon, the scene unfolding before her like a living ink painting, clouds parting to reveal a wash of celestial energy. The air itself seemed to shimmer with otherworldly grace.

This was a xianxia-themed game. Xu Nuo skimmed through the new world’s information, and several options appeared before her.

007’s tone was cheerful. “This second world is one I chose with special care for you. It’s a beginner’s tutorial difficulty—no pressure at all, you’ll breeze through it. Here’s your first attribute pack from the system. Please select two attributes.”

“Luck, Wisdom, Talent, Companions.” Only two could be chosen.

The first two were self-explanatory. Xu Nuo inquired, “What do Talent and Companions mean?”

The system explained: choosing Talent guaranteed the host would possess spiritual roots in this world, qualifying her to cultivate immortality. Choosing Companions would grant her extraordinary popularity and a strong circle of allies.

Of all the hosts 007 had guided, everyone chose Talent, usually paired with Luck or Wisdom. Companions was a rare choice.

Xu Nuo stroked her chin thoughtfully. “They’re all passive skills, aren’t they?”

Of course! 007 thought smugly. That was precisely why it had picked this game—it couldn’t let the host master any active skills. Who knew what she’d do with that kind of power? In the past, skills designed for romance targets had always been used for something else entirely.

Xu Nuo said, “I choose Luck and Companions.”

“Congratulations, host, Luck and Companion attributes have been enhanced—” Wait! Why those two? No Talent?

Watching her make this choice, 007 was crestfallen. “Host, don’t you want to cultivate immortality?” Who entered the world of cultivation and didn’t want to experience it? What a waste of the Talent attribute it had specially prepared for her.

Based on Xu Nuo’s profile, 007 had spent much time tweaking the Talent attribute: she could appear ethereal, fly on swords if she wished, but her combat power would never be excessive—too much would only encourage mischief.

Xu Nuo replied, “I think these two are more useful for me.”

Well, so be it. Without Talent, being an ordinary person would be even more limiting—perhaps that was for the best.

The scene melted into Xu Nuo’s vision like water, and with a blink, she had become part of the game world.

“The art here is stunning,” Xu Nuo marveled at the breathtaking scenery. “But I’d suggest adding a realism adjustment option.”

“Otherwise, you might scare the players to death.”

She glanced down. Below her yawned an abyss, shrouded in endless clouds, bottomless and deep. She sat in a sedan chair open to the four winds, gossamer drapes lending an ethereal air. The figure inside, her face half-veiled, was aloof and unapproachable, like a goddess descended, riding the clouds.

“Wow, who is that?”

“She actually crossed the Endless Chasm by sedan chair! Is she a senior from the inner sect?”

“Senior? She’s just a distant mortal relative seeking refuge, nothing but an ordinary human—unable to cross the chasm on her own, so she was granted this exception.”

At these words, the onlookers’ excitement faded—so she was only an ordinary person after all.

“Is she related to a senior or elder? Our sect accepts mortal relatives?”

“No idea, but it seems her kin only offered her a place to stay out of family obligation—they’ve never shown up in person.”

“Miss Xu, we’ve arrived.”

Before her stood a mountain cottage—elegant and secluded.

After a brief introduction by a few attendants, Xu Nuo was left alone in this nearly isolated courtyard, a setting that carried a faint air of pity.

007 was thoroughly satisfied. “La la la, dear host, the storyline now allows you to complete daily tasks.”

Daily tasks meant tidying up, farming, fetching water—this was, after all, a romance-farming game.

Surveying the list of trivial chores, Xu Nuo raised a skeptical brow. “A farming game in a cultivation setting?”

007 replied with certainty, “Yes.”

And emphasized, “But romance is the main point.”

Farming was wonderful—nurturing the soul, working alongside one’s beloved from dawn till dusk, leaving no room for violence. With such a tranquil and restorative ambiance, 007 refused to believe those eccentric viewers would stick around, or that its host could stir up any more mischief.